CH638387A5 - Dispenser for identical products stored in bulk, of parallelepipedal, cubic or spherical shape, and particularly sugar lumps - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a distributor of identical products stored in bulk, of rectangular, cubic or spherical shape. This invention relates more particularly to a unit dispenser of sugar cubes.

A certain number of distribution devices are known individually or by group of various products. It is quite easy to make a dispenser of packaged products whose packaging is studied according to the device. These devices are, for example, in the form of a file or several vertical reserves, in which the packaged products are arranged one above the other, while a drawer is provided under each reserve in order to extract one to one each package.

This type of device can obviously not be suitable for small products that it would be tedious and difficult to store carefully in reserves of this type, the size of the device is also too large. This is why there are other types of apparatus, also bulky, intended for the distribution of bulk products, such as treats for example.

However, these devices are not suitable for the distribution of products of parallelepiped shape, since this shape is particularly difficult to control when the products are stored in bulk in the device. The problem is all the more difficult for sugar cubes, whether or not packaged, because of the powder which forms, the brittleness of the product and its roughness when it is not individually wrapped.

This is the reason why restaurateurs and coffee makers are content to offer boxes of sugar cubes, closed or not, in which to dig. It is clear that this procedure is not hygienic, especially since it is not uncommon for a user to return to the box, after handling it, a sugar taken in excess or a part of this one.

One of the aims of the invention is precisely to propose a distributor of sugar cubes, the filling of which in bulk with said sugar cubes is easy and which allows automatic distribution by unit of each sugar cube without any manipulation of the sugar.

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It is clear, however, that the proposed device can also be suitable for packaged sugar cubes or for other products, such as treats for example.

To achieve this object, the invention provides a distributor of identical products stored in bulk, in a rectangular, cubic or spherical shape, in particular sugar cubes, comprising a reserve for the products and means of evacuation, a distributor which is remarkable in what it includes a housing in which a ramp is arranged which ends, in its lower part, at the edge of a sloping evacuation chute communicating with the outside, the products being stored directly on said ramp and evacuated at the unit or by group by the chute, by means of an ejector arranged in the latter.

Advantageously, the ramp is mounted in the housing so as to be movable relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing, so that it can be lowered and raised at will, while the chute has at least one fixed side wall relative to the housing and which is arranged in the vicinity of the lower end of the ramp.

Preferably, in this case, the side wall of the chute facing the lower end of the ramp is at least partly substantially below the level of said end when the ramp is in its highest position and, on the contrary, at least partially above when the ramp is in its lowest position.

More preferably, the bottom of the chute on which the products slide is, over at least part of its length and width, integral with the movement of the ramp.

According to one embodiment, the bottom of the chute has, over at least part of its length, a first flat element integral with the fixed side wall relative to the housing and another element, contiguous and parallel to the first, which is fixed relative to the ramp so that a movement of the ramp causes relative movement of the two bottom elements of the chute. The upper end of the aforementioned side wall of the chute advantageously forms an acute angle with the element or elements at the bottom thereof.

For the mobility of the ramp, elastic return means are arranged under the ramp, so as to exert an upward return force thereon, such as compression springs in abutment between, respectively, on the one hand , the housing or elements secured thereto and, on the other hand, the ramp or elements secured thereto.

The ejector which is discussed above, is advantageously constituted by a thick plate which is mounted, in a lumen of the chute, pivoting by its large faces around a fixed axis disposed below and at the end of said chute, and by at least one link articulated by its ends respectively under the ramp and on the plate, while the front and rear ends of the plate each have a projection or stop, possibly flexible at least for the rear projection, all of in such a way that the front projection blocks the group of products or the product in the high position of the ramp and retracts, in the low position of the latter, by pivoting the plate, the rear projection then coming in this last position to stop the following products already positioned in the chute.

A preferred embodiment according to the invention, of the type described above, is remarkable in that the housing is formed by a cylindrical body provided with a possibly removable bottom and with a cover provided with a closable opening, the ramp having the shape of a helix which develops over approximately 360 ° around the longitudinal axis of the body while the said cover is removably mounted on the body, with the possibility of moving over a limited stroke longitu-dinalically with respect to the axis of the latter, and is supported directly or not on the ramp, or on an element thereof, or is integral with said ramp so as to transmit to the latter the pressure forces exerted on said cover which then serves distribution control element. In this case, the chute is formed, over substantially the length of a radius of the body, by a gutter comprising a lateral wall fixed relative to the housing, the upper edge of which is preferably rounded and which is arranged in the vicinity of the lower end of the ramp, another side wall formed by a part folded down from the top of the ramp, a bottom which is formed by a shoulder formed inwards on the first side wall and by a rib formed on the other side wall, while the gutter extends diametrically to the outside by a tube fixed relative to the housing and at the end of which is the ejector, the sliding bottom of the tube being formed by the extension from the shoulder of the side wall of the gutter.

To make a dispenser of this type, the housing has a central hub removably attached to the bottom of the housing, which is also removable, said hub forming an integral part or being integral with the side wall of the gutter turned towards the lower end of the ramp and with the tube which extends said gutter and which passes through said hub, while the ramp provided with a cylindrical side wall slides axially along the hub, the ramp possibly being provided with openings intended to allow the powder formed by the stored products to pass through .

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and which refers, by way of example, to the appended drawing in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view in axial section of an embodiment according to the invention, the ramp being in the high position;

fig. 2 is a section on II-II of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a section on III-III of FIG. 1;

fig. 4 is a section on IV-IV of FIG. 1;

fig. 5 is a section along V-V of FIG. 8;

fig. 6 is a section on VI-VI of FIG. 1;

fig. 7 is a section on VII-VII of FIG. 1, and fig. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, but in the low position of the ramp.

The figures show a dispenser according to the invention, intended for sugar cubes, which comprises a housing constituted by a cylindrical body 1, a bottom 2 fixed removably on said body, a cover 3 provided with an opening closable by a plug 4, said cover being fixed on the body 1 in a removable and axially movable fashion over a certain stroke by means of screws, such as the screw 5, which pass through openings 6 formed in the body 1 to come into engagement with an element whose it will be discussed below.

On the bottom 2 is removably fixed a central hub 7 disposed axially over part of the height of the body.

On the upper part of the hub 7 is slidably mounted a ramp 8 provided with a cylindrical side wall 9. The ramp 8 develops in a helix around the hub 7 over approximately 360 ° (the upper part of the ramp being indicated by 8 'and , fictitiously, in phantom by 8 "in FIGS. 1 and 8). It is on the cylindrical side wall 9 that the above-mentioned screws 5 engage. Furthermore, the cover 3 rests on the upper edge of said wall 9.

Under the ramp 8 are arranged compression springs 10, the ends of which are arranged in housings 11 and 12 secured respectively to the ramp 8 and to the body 1, so as to urge the ramp 8 upwards.

The hub 7 is in one piece with a radial element 13 which extends diametrically with a tube 13 'of rectangular section which passes through said hub.

The radial element 13 has a substantially flat surface, on the side facing the observer in FIGS. 1 and 8, which is arranged in parallel and next to a part 14 folded downwards formed at the lower end 8 "of the ramp (see more particularly FIGS. 4, 5 and 7).

The upper edge of the element 13, whose edge is rounded, inclines towards the hub 7, starting substantially from the lower level 8 "of the ramp 8 when the latter is in the high position.

The section of the element 13 has a profile with two successive shoulders 15 and 16 (fig. 7), while the upper end of the ramp

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is also provided with a part 17 folded down. This folded part 17 has a rib 18 which comes almost into contact with the vertical wall of the shoulder 15 and the thickness of which corresponds substantially to the clearance created by the shoulder 16 (FIG. 7).

The upper surfaces of the shoulder 15 and of the rib 18 are substantially parallel and form an acute angle with the upper edge of the element 13. The upper surface of said shoulder 15 widens at the transition with the hub 7 to constitute the bottom of tube 13 '(fig. 3).

The tube 13 'opens outwardly through an opening 19 formed in the body 1, while at the end of said tube is mounted an ejec-tor 20.

The ejector 20 comprises a thick rectangular plate 21, articulated by its large faces around an axis 22 fixed in an appropriate manner, under the tube 13 ', so as to be able to pivot in a lumen 23 formed in the bottom of said tube 13' .

A second axis 24 passes through the front part of the plate 21 and is articulated in oblong openings provided at the ends of two rods 25, the other ends of which are articulated around an axis 26 (fig. 1 and 8) fixed under the ramp 8.

The top of the plate 21 is provided with a front projection 21 'and a rear projection 21 ". At least the projection 21" is constituted by a flexible element, such as a small piece of rubber attached to the plate 21 The position of the axes 22 and 24 and the dimension of the plate 21 and its projections are such that in the high position of the ramp the front projection 21 'slightly exceeds the bottom of the tube 13' (fig. 1), while 'in the low position it retracts and it is the rear projection 21 "which comes beyond the bottom of said tube (fig. 8).

The area of the element 13 located above the shoulder 15 and the area of the folded part 17 of the ramp 8, located above the rib 18, form the side walls of a gutter whose inclined bottom is constituted by said shoulder 15 and said rib 18 (fig. 4, 5 and 7). The gutter thus defined is extended by the tube 13 ', which opens outwards from the body 1, to together form a discharge chute.

The ramp 8 is further provided with lights 27 (fig. 2) whose role will be defined below.

Pieces of sugar are introduced through the stopper 4 onto the ramp 8 which, with its side wall 9, constitutes a reserve.

The sugar cubes tend to slide along the ramp 8 to fall into the gutter defined above by tilting around the rounded edge of the element 13 (see fig. 1,4 and 7). The pieces thus come into the tube 13 'to the ejector 20 where they are stopped by the projection 21' which serves as a stop (piece of sugar shown diagrammatically at 28 in FIG. 1).

When the cover 3 is pressed against the biasing of the springs 10, the assembly of the ramp 8 is lowered by sliding on the hub 7 and causes the plate 21 to pivot by means of the rods 25.

The device thus assumes the position, shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, in which the sugar cube 28 is ejected by deleting the projection 21 'of the ejector while the following pieces are blocked by the rear projection 21 ", the reserve being, at least in part , separated from the gutter by element 13.

When the pressure on the cover 3 is stopped, the ramp returns to its original position under the action of the springs 10.

io It is clear that the movement printed on the cover 3 causes a corresponding movement of the ramp 8, and therefore of its folded parts 14 and 17 and of the rib 18, relative to the fixed element 13 (see in particular fig. 4 and 5). This relative movement is important. Indeed, if a sugar is badly positioned (at an angle) above the gutter, between the bottom of the ramp 8 and the part 17 (fig. 4), the movement from top to bottom of the ramp, which causes a relative movement from bottom to top of the element 13 relative to the ramp, promotes the tilting of the piece in the gutter (13,17,15 and 18). The chute can thus be filled with pieces in the high position of the ramp or at the time of ejection.

The shoulder 15 and the rib 18 form a movable bottom, at least in part, which also makes it possible to position the sugar cubes by avoiding their jamming and / or promoting their flow when they are, for example, superimposed, in particular at 25 moment of the slight shock caused by the return of the ramp to its high position. The openings 27 (fig. 2) mentioned above make it possible to recover the sugar powder possibly formed, by the removable bottom 2 or the cover 3.

The device described above is easy to assemble and disassemble by fitting and disengaging the various elements, guiding and / or support and / or positioning means being of course provided.

It is clear, however, that the embodiment described is not limited to the form shown. This device can also be of rectangular or other shape, and each element can have another shape or be of another type: cylindrical tube 13 ′, hatch ejector 20, etc.

Similarly, the bottom of the gutter in two parts 15 and 18 may be constituted by a single movable rib 18 wider (the shoulder-40 ment 15 being removed).

In addition, the application to sugar cubes is also a preferred application, but it is of course possible to adapt it to other products. Depending on the nature of the products and in particular the size of the sugar cubes, it is also possible to envisage 45 elements 7, 13 and 13 'which are adaptable and interchangeable.

Finally, such a device can serve as an advertising medium and be dressed in any way (mug of beer, etc.).

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4 sheets of drawings

Claims (11)

638,387 1. Distributor of identical products stored in bulk, of rectangular, cubic or spherical shape, in particular sugar cubes, comprising a reserve for the products and means of evacuation, characterized in that it comprises a housing in which is arranged a ramp (8) which ends, in its lower part, at the edge of a sloping evacuation chute communicating with the outside, the products being stored directly on said ramp (8) and evacuated individually or by group by the chute, by means of an ejector (20) arranged in the latter. 2. Dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the ramp (8) is mounted in the housing so as to be movable relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing, so that it can be lowered and raised at will, while the chute has at least one side wall (13) fixed relative to the housing and which is arranged in the vicinity of the lower end of the ramp (8). 2 3. Dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the side wall (13) of the chute facing the lower end of the ramp (8) is at least partly substantially below the level of said end when the ramp ( 8) is in its highest position and, on the contrary, at least partly above it when the ramp is in its lowest position. 4. Dispenser according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the bottom of the chute on which the products slide is, over at least part of its length and width, integral with the movement of the ramp (8 ). 5. Distributor according to claim 4, characterized in that the bottom of the chute comprises, over at least part of its length, a first flat element (15) integral with the fixed side wall (13) relative to the housing and another element (18), contiguous and parallel to the first, which is fixed relative to the ramp (8) so that a movement of the ramp causes a relative movement of the two elements (15 and 18) at the bottom of the chute. 6. Distributor according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the upper end of the aforementioned side wall of the chute forms an acute angle with the element or elements (15 and 18) of the bottom thereof. this. 7. Dispenser according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that elastic return means are arranged under the ramp (8), so as to exert an upward return force on it, such as compression springs (10) in abutment between, respectively, on the one hand, the housing or elements (12) integral with it and, on the other hand, the ramp or elements (11) integral with it . 8. Dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ejector (20) consists of a thick plate (21) which is mounted, in a lumen (23) of the chute, pivoting by its large faces around a fixed axis (22) disposed below and at the end of said chute, and by at least one link (25) articulated by its ends respectively under the ramp and on the plate, while the front ends and rear of the plate (21) each have a projection (21 'and 21 ") or stop, possibly flexible at least for the rear projection, the whole in such a way that the front projection (21') blocks the group of products or the produced in the high position of the ramp and retracts, in the low position of the latter, by pivoting the plate, the rear projection (21 ") then coming in this last position stop the following products already positioned in the chute. 9. Dispenser according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the housing is formed by a cylindrical body (1) provided with a bottom (2) possibly removable and with a cover (3) provided with a closable opening, the ramp (8) having the shape of a helix which develops over approximately 360 ° around the longitudinal axis of the body (1), while said cover (3) is removably mounted on the body (1) , with the possibility of moving over a limited race longitudinally relative to the axis of the latter, and bears directly or not on the ramp, or on an element thereof, or is integral with said ramp so to transmit to the latter the pressure forces exerted on said cover which then serves as a distribution control element. 10. Distributor according to claim 9, characterized in that the chute is formed, over substantially the length of a radius of the body (1), by a gutter comprising a side wall (13) fixed relative to the housing, the edge of which the upper part is preferably rounded and which is arranged in the vicinity of the lower end of the ramp, another side wall formed by a part folded down (17) from the upper part of the ramp, a bottom which is formed by a shoulder (15) formed inward on the first side wall (13) and by a rib (18) formed on the other side wall (17), while the gutter extends diametrically to the outside by a tube (13 ') fixed relative to the housing and at the end of which is disposed the ejector (20), the sliding base of the tube being formed by the extension of the shoulder (15) of the side wall (13) of the gutter. 11. Distributor according to claim 10, characterized in that the housing comprises a central hub (7) removably fixed on the bottom (2) of the housing also removable, said hub (7) forming an integral part or being integral with the side wall (13) of the gutter turned towards the lower end of the ramp and with the tube (13 ') which extends said gutter and which passes through said hub, while the ramp (8) provided with a cylindrical side wall (9) slides axially along the hub, the ramp possibly being provided with openings (27) intended to allow the powder formed by the stored products to pass through.